Well, hot summer days are here again. I miss opening the windows at night and enjoying the cool air. I miss being able to hear my girls talk to me in the car because I have the air conditioner blowing so high they are inaudible. I miss not having to stand in the hot sun to buy Hawaiian Shaved Ice too cool us off. (However, I am happy to have discovered a new flavor of said treat, Cherry Lime!) We've been pretty lucky, though. There have been less than 6 days over 100 degrees, so who am I to complain? I really do try to remember these days in late January when I am ranting about scraping ice off of my windows. All of this heat makes me lazy and unwilling to keep up with anything, including this blog.
Here is a run down of some of the things I can remember we did in the past few weeks.
1. Katy went to a sewing camp at the
Quilt Crossing. She learned to make a cute backpack in three days. I did not think to take a picture of it, but maybe if this heat passes, I'll hook one up for you all to see. Emma was a bit miffed that she could not attend as she was a few years underage. Just 2 more years, Sweetheart. Katy did let her use the scraps to make some very chic Barbie outfits. Again, if I can remember, I'll post a few pics of those too! Anyway, Katy really enjoyed the class. Thanks to Grammy for that birthday present!
2. Katy's horse riding instructor, Gabrielle, got married on the 25 of July. The ceremony and reception took place in her mom and dad's backyard. They live on Warm Springs Avenue, the big lovely street that you drive up to get to our house. Gabrielle lives next door to her parents. That is where Katy takes her lessons. We were at the lessons while the family was decorating for the wedding. They were stringing lights around the horse corrals and through the trees. Katy, Emma and I could just imagine how pretty it was going to look. Alas, we were not invited to the festivities. It was going to have to be left to our imaginations. The night of the 25th, the girls and I were just hanging out watching a movie. Pajamas on and nearly ready for bed, I hustled Katy and Emma to the car for a quick course in "How-to-pretend-to-crash-a-wedding-but-really-just-drive-behind-the-huge-lot-and-take-a-quick-peek-at-the-lights-and-accidentally-find-out-who catered-the-event." It was worth the peek. The yard looked b-e-a-u-tiful! Katy has lessons tomorrow, so we are hoping to hear how it went.
3. I took Katy and Emma to their first drive-in movie! I had been planning to do this for sometime, but needed to get the nerve up to drive the 46 miles to get there. We went to the
Parma Motor-Vu in, you guessed it, Parma, Idaho. Part of the ride is on the interstate, but around 16 miles of it are on a 2 lane state highway/farm road driving straight into the sunset. It made for some white-knuckle motoring! My mom had joined us, so she kept me calm. The movie, "Up," started at 9:30. We arrived just in time to pay and pull in. After a few challenges (applying mass amounts of bug spray, figuring out how we would hear the broadcast over the radio as I did not think to back the car in because we sat out on our lawn chairs, and making sure Katy made it to the bathroom) we settled in. Grammy had bought the popcorn and drinks, so we just kicked back and enjoyed the show. It was great fun. Emma started to nod off, but otherwise, we made it through. We did not stay for the second feature. It was nearly midnight and I had that road to tackle. I am certain we will head back next year, hopefully with Eric. He claims to not have fond memories of drive-in movies. I think the girls and I can change that!
4. The other big event of July was the 'back-to-school" shopping. Took the supply lists to Target and dove right in. I always think I will make the kids re-use their old supplies. I am all for that, but then you, well, I, get caught up in the frenzy that is 20 cent boxes of crayons, markers for 50 cents a box and packages of 8 glue sticks for a dollar. What a deal! Economy be darned-I stocked up. I did not buy new rulers or glue. I still have a supply of glue from when Katy went into Kindergarten (I think I bought them for 10 cents a bottle) and rulers, well they just don't wear out. Emma likes some kind of crazy monkey erasers and Katy likes the gel squishy pencil grips and those items are never on the value menu. I just can't say no. They act as if those erasers and grips define their own personal existence. Who am I to argue? This year, Katy switches to college-rule paper. I do have several packs of wide-rule loose leaf paper and multiple spiral notebooks to match at home. They are the remains from last year. No real takers on those. I obliged when it came to the cute printed notebooks and folders. I suggested the plain/cheap ones, but listening to Katy tell Emma that they could try to decorate them at home was too much for me to bear. After all the supplies were gathered and paid for, we ended our shopping spree and headed home to sort the loot. In all the fun, we forgot the kleenex and hand soap. Guess I can't send used ones from home . . .
5. The next trip, as you might expect, was to buy a first day of school outfit. I'll save my typing and your time. Just imagine how little control I exhibited with monkey erasers and apply that to 2 girls in their favorite clothing store. I will tell you though, the 80's are back and we will be worse off for that, I guarantee it. When Eric saw what Katy and Emma picked out, he could only think of Madonna, the early years. It is really not that bad, just really bright. Kind of reminds me of the song by Timbuk 3, "
The Futures So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades!" I'll post pictures in a few weeks when the big day arrives. Maybe I'll send Eric with them next year! Yeah, that's the ticket!
6. My brother and his wife bought 2 beagle puppies. They, the puppies, were shipped in from Arkansas. The girls and I met Ryan at the airport. We were able to see the little ones and accompany them to the local dog wash. They are named Sasha and Spud and we sure think they are cute!
7. Went on a date with my husband while the girls stayed with Grammy. We found a place that served $1.00 tacos and headed on over. Eric knew the bartender and one of the servers. While we were eating, another guy Eric knew stopped by--a beverage rep for Applebee's. We then went downtown to walk off the tacos. Ran into someone else that Eric knew. I only tell you this, not to bore you, but to let you know that Eric has come along way in 14 years. He now knows people! Really knows people! It is not me introducing him and then quietly whispering who they are and how we know them. Progress, I tell you! Progress! We ended the night by buying a desk chair for Emma and stopping by a frozen yogurt place before renting a movie at
redbox.
8. Oh, we went for another walk when we returned home. Uneventful until I got stung by a wasp. Just above my knee-in the good fleshy part. Yeah, that was exciting! This is the second time in less than a year that I have been stung. Last time, we were hiking down the ski lift trail in Sun Valley when I walked into a "group" of bees. Not really a swarm, just a small group. I shooed them from the girls. They took offense and went for my hair. I do have rather fluffy, maybe some(Eric) would say "big", hair. I guess it looked like a safe place to hide. That one did feel good either, but the good news is, I do not appear to be allergic. The swelling is down on my leg and I am now on the lookout for mad bees/wasps/hornets!
9. The movie we rented on date night was
"Taking Chance." If you have not seen it, please consider renting it. It was so good. Very, very good.
